This Isn't Just Another Blog

We believe that the 21st century is both an exhilarating and daunting time to live as a Latter-day Saint. Exhilarating because modern prosperity and technology provide previously unthinkable opportunities for men and women of faith to do good. Daunting because never before have so many temptations abounded.

We believe in wearing out our lives in service to God and fellow man. In other words, we believe in consecrating our lives to the Lord by dedicating our time to serving the Church, our families, and the communities we live in.

Our world is rapidly advancing technologically, while simultaneously abandoning the sacred restraints which have informed and undergirded our civilization’s progress. It is painful to witness the breakdown of basic social institutions. However, as the adversary mounts his offensive, we believe that the Lord is rallying His forces.

We believe that every Latter-day Saint has an important role to play in the hastening of the Lord’s work. We are each duty bound to be an example of the believers, to repent and come unto Christ, and seek to “be anxiously engaged in a good cause.”

Our principal objective is to help people come unto Christ and become converted to His gospel. At Happiness Seekers we know the power of the gospel because we have felt it in our own lives, and it has changed us.

We know that it is ultimately only through Christ and His gospel that individuals can find lasting peace and eternal happiness. For this reason, we seek to do all that we can to bring members and non-members closer to God and God’s instrument for shaping His children (the Church).

We are disheartened by the thought that someone would be kept from the Gospel and Christ because of a stumbling block. So, at Happiness Seekers, we do everything we can to give people the tools they need to clear stumbling blocks out of their path, thereby making it easier to serve God (if they so desire).

We are addressing stumbling blocks in the following ways:

Addressing Faith & Doubt:

1) Defend the Restored Gospel with reasoned arguments. Of course, reason and logic are not sufficient to convince anyone of spiritual truths. But if you have been convinced that believing in the story of the Restoration is akin to believing in unicorns or believing in a fraud, it can become necessary to offset logical arguments opposing the Church with the logical arguments which support it. In some cases, it is only then that a person regains the ability to exercise that particle of faith.

2) Rebut arguments against the Book of Mormon and the Restoration and exposing untruths and exaggerations, particularly those which have gone unchecked.

3) Expose members to scholarship on the Book of Mormon which seriously complicates any allegation that Joseph Smith did not represent himself truthfully.

Supporting Moms facing Anxiety and Depression

1.Provide perspectives on how Moms who have experienced anxiety and depression learned to thrive and love what they do.

2. Provide resources for kids activities and stimulating early learning and growth in toddlers.

Combatting Pornography

1. Promote an atmosphere of open discussion of pornography by tempering the narrative of shame that youth experience surrounding pornography.

2. Provide new and varied tools for overcoming pornography compulsion.

3. Expose individuals to the stories of porn users (young and old) and those affected by a loved one’s pornography addiction.

Better Understanding Same Sex Attraction

1. Support the Church’s two pronged position: 1) individuals should not feel ashamed for experiencing same-sex attraction, and 2) relations outside of marriage are contrary to the will of God.

2. Provide access to the stories of faithful Latter-day Saints who have experienced same-gender attraction to increase understanding of the SSA experience and the different ways that faithful Latter-day Saints might respond to it.

Promoting Healthy Living

1. Provide tools that empower individuals to live healthier lives (thereby increasing quality of life and ability to serve later on in life).

Defining Equality

1. Provide reasoned arguments in support of the Church’s position on the family, gender differences, and traditional marriage.

2. Highlight ways in which the Church has sought to eliminate gender and orientation differences that were based more on culture than on doctrine (and how we can do the same).

Meet the Team

Dustin and Brittney Phelps

Dustin and Brittney are BYU grads, eternal sweethearts, parents to two delightful children, and passionate idealists. Dustin served an LDS mission in Mozambique and Brittney served in Taiwan.

Brittney is a full time Mom and part-time entrepreneur, editor, and writer. Dustin works on improving educational opportunities for students in the Memphis inner-city and manages non-profit organizations and a small business on the side. They both love spending time with their two children and feel absolutely driven to make a difference in any way they can.

Dustin and Brittney hope that the Happiness Seekers website provides uplifting content that will strengthen faith in Christ and increase confidence in the Restored Gospel. They also hope to continue collaborating with others to provide resources that will help Latter-day Saints successfully navigate the unique challenges of our times. Those challenges include: anxiety and depression, defining equality, pornography, same-sex attraction, faith and doubt, and religious liberty.

Loren and Tina Spendlove

Loren and Tina Spendlove are two of the most delightful people you will ever meet. They’re passionate about loving each other, serving the Lord, and learning as much as they can. Loren and Tina have served three missions together, including one as Mission President and Mission Mom. And they plan on serving many more missions.

Tina has a Master’s degree in Health Psychology. She is passionate about advocating for healthy living, and at Happiness Seekers, she advises and contributes to our “Healthy Living” tab under the “LDS Resources” page.

Loren is a former Economics and Accounting professor with an MBA and a PHD in Education, a former entrepreneur, and an LDS scholar who has published several articles for the Interpreter. He is passionate about studying the Book of Mormon, and at Happiness Seekers, he advises and contributes to our Faith & Doubt articles and resources.